


Fracturing The Family

by BSBLover2538



Category: Backstreet Boys
Genre: Angst, DNA results, Drama, F/M, Family, Family Drama, Paternity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:54:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25729258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BSBLover2538/pseuds/BSBLover2538
Summary: Holden has never felt like part of the Dorough family. A DNA test gives him the answers he'd been seeking, and turns his world upside down.
Relationships: Brian Littrell/Leigh Dorough, Brian Littrell/Leighanne Littrell, Howie Dorough/Leigh Dorough, Kevin Richardson/Kristin Richardson, Nick Carter/Lauren Kitt Carter, Rochelle Karidis/AJ McLean
Kudos: 4





	Fracturing The Family

As the rain pelted the windows, Holden sighed softly. It was another rainy day, which meant he was stuck inside, when he’d rather be at the field throwing the ball around with his college friends. It was the middle of summer, but he went to a local college, which helped with not having to pay rent and other expenses. 

His phone dinged once again, and he lazily picked it up, seeing that it was an email that he had been expecting. Rubbing his face, he thumbed to his email, and opened it up. Clicking the link, Holden entered his username and password into the site. 

“Hopefully this will give me answers,” he muttered. 

Holden had long been suspicious about his paternity. He looked nothing like his father, and more favored his mother’s side. Holding his breath, he opened the results, and scrolled down. As he read more and more, his jaw became set, and he bit his lip to stop the vile words from slipping out of his mouth. 

“Fucking hell!” he swore, as he sat there. He was right, Howie Dorough was not his father. If it wasn’t him, who was it? As Holden thought, a horrifying memory came to him, and he went white. 

“No…it can’t be” Holden whispered, his heart sinking as he quickly went to YouTube, looking up the video that his father had done all those years ago about his DNA results with his uncles. Holden had seen it a time or two, and remembered something important from it. 

Watching the short video, he saw his father’s results and rolled his eyes. He paid more attention to his Uncle Brian and Uncle Kevin’s results. The two of them, especially Brian’s closely matched his own. 

“....” 

Holden let loose a variety of expletives as he replayed the video. Hurt, anger, sadness, isolation were all warring in him. He had no idea what to think. One thing was for certain, he needed to talk to his parents. 

Getting off of his bed, he made his way outside to the patio and pool area, knowing that his parents were most likely there. Swallowing his first statement, he wrenched the back door open and stormed out. 

“Holden? What’s going on baby?” Leigh asked, alarm all over her face. 

“When the fuck were either of you going to tell me that Dad was not my biological father?!” Holden demanded, his voice like ice. Both Howie and Leigh paled, sinking down onto the chaises below them. Silence came from them for another minute before Holden spoke again. 

“Which is it? Uncle Brian or Uncle Kevin? Who’s my father?” 

“Brian” Howie whispered, his head dropping into his hands. 

“How?” Leigh choked out. 

“I’ve always been suspicious that Dad wasn’t my biological father, and I never felt like a Dorough. I had my DNA tested and got the results twenty minutes ago. It took less than a minute for me to figure it all out. I went back to the video that was done all those years ago when Dad did his with my uncles. I compared my results to my uncles, and it could only be Uncle Brian or Uncle Kevin” Holden nearly screamed. 

“I…I’m sorry” Howie got out, but Holden shook his head. 

“Who knows?” he asked. 

“The adults all know, none of the kids know. We thought you’d never find out, we were only trying to protect you Holden. We thought it didn’t matter who your father really was, you saw Uncle Brian all the time anyway” Leigh tried to justify what they had done. 

“Are you fucking kidding me?! Protect me? It fucking matters who my father really is. I should have been spending time with Baylee, my half brother. I should have been calling Uncle Brian Dad. He is part of my flesh and blood, and you’ve kept that from me for 19 years now!” Holden spoke, his voice hard. 

“But…” Howie weakly tried to protest. Holden put a hand up. 

“No, there is literally nothing you could say to excuse what you both have done. I am going to pack a bag and get out of here for a while. Don’t try and call me, I’ll be in touch, whenever that is” Holden stormed back inside, going right to his room. Grabbing a suitcase, he packed some clothes and other things, and went to his car. 

“I need to call Baylee” he thought, and pulled his phone back out. Syncing it to his car, he used the hands-free feature to call his now half brother. 

“Holden! What’s up man?” Baylee grinned as he picked up the call. 

“Hey, are you home and free to talk?” Holden asked, knowing that Baylee was married with an 18 month old. 

“Yes I am, just come over” Baylee replied. Baylee had moved to Florida not long after marrying, and was about an hour away from where Holden was. 

“Alright, be there in about an hour” Holden hung up, and just focused on driving. He wanted to talk to Baylee himself, he didn’t even want to talk to Brian yet, he was still too angry. 

Pulling up to Baylee’s home, Holden took a deep breath. He knew that Baylee was probably going to want proof, and would end up just as angry as he was. He walked up the steps to the front door and knocked. He wasn’t sure if Rebecca was asleep or not. 

“Hey man...what’s wrong?” Baylee asked worriedly as he saw Holden’s face. He opened the door, and the younger man stepped in, running his hand through his long hair. 

“Can we go to your study please? I need to talk to you” Holden replied. Baylee nodded, and led the way to his private area of the home. 

“Eliza and Rebecca aren’t home, Eliza took her to toddler time at the library,” Baylee explained, and Holden nodded distractedly. 

“Okay, what’s going on?” Baylee asked as the two sat down. 

“You’re my half brother” Holden bluntly told him. Baylee’s eyes widened, and he shook his head violently. 

“Wait, what?” 

“Short story. I took a DNA test, found out my Dad wasn’t my biological dad. Looked at the Youtube video the guys all did, and realized my results closely matched your dad and cousin. Confronted my parents, and Dad revealed that your father is my biological father” Holden steadily spoke. 

“Can...can I see the proof?” Baylee’s head was whirling. 

Holden nodded and pulled up the DNA results he had gotten ninety minutes ago. Baylee scrolled through it, and his face got more and more red. Giving Holden his phone back, Baylee went and grabbed his iPad, and a few minutes later, shoved it to Holden. 

“My own results from a few years ago. We are freaking half brothers. What the hell?!” Baylee fumed as Holden looked over the results. Baylee grabbed his phone, and Holden watched as he hit the contact for his father. 

“Hey Bubs, how are you? How’s Eliza and Rebecca?” Brian asked. 

“Shut it Dad. When the fuck were you going to tell me that Holden is my half brother?!” Holden tuned out most of the ensuing conversation between Baylee and Brian, it was similar to the one he had had less than two hours earlier. 

“...and don’t try and contact me until you talk to Holden and apologize for the last 19 years! I can’t fucking believe this. Bye Dad” Baylee hung up, and looked at Holden. 

“Can I stay here for a while? I need to get away from my parents, and I don’t want to talk to your dad quite yet” Holden asked. 

“Of course, you can take the guest room, or the basement. Both have beds in them you can use. Come here bro” Baylee stood up and took Holden in his arms, as the younger man finally broke down from the stress and adrenaline he had been riding. 

After crying in Baylee’s arms for ten minutes, Holden looked up and sniffled. He wiped his face and sighed softly. Sitting up suddenly, he looked at Baylee. 

“What the fuck do I tell James? He’s still technically my half brother as well, and he didn’t know either” Holden said fretfully. Baylee sighed softly, and ran his hand through his curls. 

“I know you don’t want to see them, but you may need to call a family meeting. James deserves to know, and it needs to come all out. Are you even sure that James is your half brother? He could still be your full blood brother, and I could have two half brothers for all I know” Baylee asked, and Holden groaned. 

“I was too angry to even ask if James is Howie’s or your dad’s. I have no clue. At the family meeting, I’ll ask, since the four of them will be in the same room” Holden sighed. 

“Okay, for now I want you to go downstairs and rest. I’ll let Eliza know what’s going on, just that you are staying here for a bit. We can plan the family meeting in a few days. You need to relax and come to terms with all this. I’ll keep your phone with me, and keep the family away” Baylee promised, and Holden nodded wearily. 

He grabbed his bag and went down to the basement. Flopping onto the bed, Holden fell asleep pretty quickly. Over the next few days, he and Baylee talked a few more times, and Baylee told his brother that he had pretty much told his father, Leigh, and Howie to fuck off and leave them alone until they were ready to talk. Holden was floored, and hugged Baylee tightly. 

“Alright, it’s been nearly a week. We need to get the entire family together. See if they can all come this weekend. I know it’s short notice, but I want this over with. Thankfully your home and backyard is big enough, and you are isolated so that the arguing that is bound to happen won’t bother the neighbors” Holden looked at Baylee, who agreed with him. 

“I’ll make the calls. It will just be short and sweet texts to our parents, but I’ll call the others and James. Go play with Rebecca, get your mind off of it all” Baylee suggested, and Holden nodded, going to find his niece. 

The entire family said they’d be there on Saturday morning. Kevin and AJ’s families would be flying in on Friday night as well as Nick and his family, and Brian and Leighanne would drive down from Georgia. James also promised to be there with his fiancee. 

“This is going to go over well,” Holden sighed. 

“It’s the adults that all know already. Ava, Lyric, James, Odin, Saoirse, Max, and Mason don’t. They aren’t going to be happy, and they are gonna be concerned for you. I do wonder who James’s father is though” Baylee mused. 

“It has to be Howie, James is his clone” Holden muttered. 

“Well, we’ll see,” Baylee said decisively, and the topic was dropped. 

The next few days passed somewhat normally, Baylee doing everything he could to shield Holden, who still didn’t want to talk to Leigh, Howie, or Brian. The young man focused on doting on his niece, and getting closer to Baylee and Eliza. He didn’t want to think about what Saturday morning would bring. 

Holden woke up early that morning, and tried to ignore the butterflies in his stomach. He made a wonderful breakfast for the four of them, but only picked at it. Baylee squeezed his knee in support, and Holden glanced at the time. He knew that everyone would be there by 10, and it was already nine. 

“Mason, Max! Uncle Kev, Aunt Kris! How are you?” Holden smiled seeing the four come in fifteen minutes later. 

“Good. What’s going on?” Kevin asked, worry in his green eyes, his eyebrows creased in concern. 

“Wait until the others get here please” Holden asked, the older man nodding in agreement. 

Over the next half hour, the others showed up, and Holden warmly hugged James, AJ and his family, and Nick and his family. The tension could be cut with a knife when Howie, Leigh, Brian, and Leighanne all showed up. The entire family went to the backyard, sitting around the patio and pool that Baylee had. 

“Okay what’s going on?” Ava asked, they could all sense the tension in the air. 

“Let’s start at the beginning. I have never felt like a part of my family, and always wondered why I looked different from both of my parents. I took a bit of my extra birthday money, ordered myself a DNA test, and got confirmation of what I’ve always believed to be true” Holden started. 

“And what is that?” Odin asked. 

“My father is not my biological father. I have a different biological father than what I was told” Holden simply said, and his cousins, and James exploded. 

“WHAT?! Who is your father?” James looked at his brother. 

“I think I should turn it over to our parents, have them explain it” Holden said scornfully, and all the kids' eyes turned to Howie and Leigh. 

“First of all, I have never treated Holden any differently, even though he was not biologically mine. James, you are biologically mine and your mother’s. After your birth, your mother suffered three miscarriages, and we went to the doctor. The two of us wanted a second child, and the doctor couldn’t explain why your mother was miscarrying. We thought that another male might do the trick, so we found another set of sperm, and Holden was born” Howie explained. 

“So who is his father?” James asked again. 

“I am” Brian softly said, and the kids all looked appalled at their aunts and uncles. Looking at their parents, they could see that they weren’t shocked. 

“Dad, you knew about this?” Mason looked at Kevin, who bit his lip and bowed his head. 

“All of the adults knew, we were sworn not to say anything to any of you guys, especially not James, Holden, or Baylee” Lauren said, as she and Nick wiped a few tears away. 

“So now instead of one brother, I have two half brothers, one I should have grown up with as much as I did with James. I have been staying with Baylee for the last week and a half. I have no desire yet to deal with either of my parents or Howie and Leighanne. Right now, all I want is to be left alone to try and deal with all of this” Holden softly spoke, and everyone nodded. 

The family meeting quickly ended after that, and Kevin, Kristin, Nick, Lauren, AJ, and Rochelle all apologized for their part in it. Holden understood it wasn’t their place to tell him, so he wasn’t that upset with them. His cousins all supported him as well, so Holden was feeling well loved from his extended family. After they all left, James came up to Holden, who tensed a bit. 

“This changes nothing. You are still my brother, and I love you completely. I’m not thrilled with Mom and Dad, so I’m not sure what’s going to happen there, but you have me 100%. Never ever doubt that Holden” James looked into his brother’s brown eyes. 

Holden grabbed James in a tight hug, and after a minute or so, Baylee joined in. The three hugged each other happily. As they pulled away, James ruffled Holden’s hair, and the young man groaned, fixing it. 

“Must you?” he grumped. 

“Big brother prerogative. Hey Bay, you get it now as well. I’ll teach you all about annoying Holden, it’s the best” James whispered conspiratorially to Baylee who chuckled. 

“And I wanted to find out my actual family…” Holden despaired, before grinning happily at his brothers. 

Howie, Leigh, Brian, and Leighanne left without a word, knowing that the three boys were rightfully angry with all of them. Holden hung out with Baylee, Eliza, James, his fiancee Jenna, and Rebecca, splashing in the pool happily. Odin, Saoirse, Mason with his husband, Max, Ava with her girlfriend, and Lyric all came back over as well to hang out, enjoying the weekend with their cousins. 

Holden looked forward to getting closer to his family, and knew he’d eventually have to talk to his parents, Howie, and Leighanne. That could wait, he wanted to let his anger cool down. As he went to bed that night, he prayed for strength and direction, and hoped that the family could be whole again. 

Epilogue

It took another good three weeks before Holden talked to the four adults for the first time since the family meeting. After many discussions, some tears, and a promise that he could call Brian Dad if he wanted to, Holden agreed to mend the fracture. A year later, at James’s wedding, Holden watched happily as his mom and Howie walked James down the aisle. His father and Leighanne were in the audience as well, and the tension was long gone in the family. After some deliberation, Holden was also in the middle of changing his last name to Littrell. He pleaded with his mother to understand that he never felt like a Dorough, and James would carry on the family name. Leigh agreed, and Holden started the process. Things were falling into place, and Holden now felt more secure in the family than he had in his entire life. It was everything he had ever wanted. 


End file.
